Washoku - Healing With Food

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Healthy Recipes for Everyone

Dear All,

Washoku has relocated to Japan in order to deepen more the culinary knowledge and learn even better on how to heal through enjoyable and delicious dishes. There will be seminars once on a while and everybody who is interested can send a request to receive notifications about this.

In the meanwhile I thank you all very much for the lovely time and am surely looking forward in seeing you again in the future!

PS: new recipes will be added to the Facebook page regularly, keep an eye on it:)

Schedule

Topics

Classes focus on seasonal cooking. All dishes are balanced, healing and enjoyable

November

Menu

Black beans & Pumpkin Stew

Almond Rice Medallions

Pumpkin & Onion Miso Soup

Themes:

Increase and balance antioxidants

Boost the immune system

Support digestive process in order to allow better absorption of nutrients.

September

Menu

Chickpeas & bell peppers casserole Mushroom Miso Soup

Rice with Carrot & Miso Sauce

The Earth Element is very important in this period of transition from the warm and yang season to a cooler and more yin season. Foods that represent the "centre" (especially the "round" ones) can help go through this transition more smoothly.

July

Menu:

Staffed tomatoes with red lentils and seasonal vegetables

Marinated home made tofu stir-fried with shiitake mushrooms and sesame served with plain steamed rice

When making a
cake,
use the amazake instead of sugar. Use about 200 g of amazake and 150 g of rice or buckwheat flour (amazake can
contain more or less moisture, depending on season and temperature. For this reason the amount of
flour that is used can vary. You can adjust the amount of flour when you are
preparing your desserts, the important thing is that the dough should never be
too hard but actually soft and a bit sticky.

You
can use amazake also to make asimple
drink: add 2 TBS of amazake in a cup, add a little vanilla, cocoa powder
(unsweetened), matcha tea, cinnamon, etc, then add hot water or milk of your
own choice, stir well and enjoy.

DirectionsWash and dry well the vegetablesplace the carrot, cabbage & spring onion in a frying pan with oil and dashi and stir fry for about 2 min add the mashed chickepeas, salt to taste & basil, cook for 1 more min and turn heat offplace rice paper well flat on the table, fill with vegetables and roll up cut the rolls into about 4 cm pieces and place on serving dishserve with dressing made with shoyu, lemon juice and ginger (blend well and let stand for about 30 min before serving) on the side

Amazake Buns

Ingredients

150
g brown rice flour

1
tsp sea salt

2
tsp coconut oil

1TBS
vanilla essence

35
g squash, cooked and pureed

150
g amazake

35
g raisins, soaked and pureed

Directions

Put
amazake, coconut oil, vanilla essence and pureed raisins in a bowl and mix well

Add
squash an gently blend together

At
last add the flour, a little at a time, to make a soft dough (should be a bit
sticky)

Make
little buns using a tablespoon and place on oven tray (oil the tray first) or
use muffin moulds

Bake
in preheated oven at 190C for about 20~30 min

Let
cool before serving

Picture above: Biwa

Biwa trees originated in Asia, in China, and then appeared in Japan where their fruit is also today used both as a food source and for medicinal purposes

Apple
& Raisins Cakes

Ingredients

For the apple base:

3~4 red apples, peeled, seeded and cut into wedges

1~2 oranges, juiced

1 tsp raw coconut oil

4~5 TBS raisins

3 TBS almonds, soaked for 1 hour and chopped (if you have the
time, soak overnight)

3 whole cloves

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon powder

For the dough:

100 g spelt flour, sieved

4~5 TBS brown rice syrup, heated (not boiled!)

60 g raw coconut oil, melted

1 pinch of sea salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

A little unsweetened soya milk, as required

Directions

Put the orange juice, coconut oil,
raisins, almonds & cloves in a large frying-pan & cook on low heat for
about 3 min, stirring well

Add apples, nutmeg & cinnamon
and continue to cook for 3~4 more min, so that the apples are soft but still
crispy, turn heat off and let stand while preparing the dough

Put heated rice syrup, melted
coconut oil and 1 pinch of sea salt into a bowl and mix well

Add the flour a little at a time,
mixing well so that it doesn’t make lumps (if the dough starts to get too hard,
add a little soya milk while adding the flour)

Before you add the last portion of
the flour, prepare the muffin moulds

Slightly oil and flour 8~10
moulds, then divide the apple mixture among them, adding also some of the
cooking liquid if any (remember to discard the cloves here)

Now add the last portion of the
flour and the baking powder to the dough and mix well

Divide the dough among the moulds,
covering the apple mixture

Place in preheated oven at 190 C
for about 30 ~35 min or until browned

Let
cool down before serving

You
can coat the cakes with apple jam if you like: sieve the jam (you can use a
small strainer) then use a cooking brush to gently coat the surface of the
cakes

Hazelnut Pudding

Ingredients

380g
amazake

350ml
water

30g
chopped, roasted hazelnuts

1TBS
kuzu or potato flour

1
pinch of sea salt

Some
slices of seasonal fresh fruit to garnish

Directions

Bring the amazake, water, hazelnuts and salt
to a boil, stirring

Dissolve the kuzu in a little cold water then
add to the hot mix and stir until thick (if using potato flour,

add a little at a time to avoid lumps)

Place into individual molds, garnish with fresh
fruit slices and serve

Let's Start From "Dashi"

“Dashi”(出汁) is the name of the Japanese
stock that is used as a daily base for soups, including miso-shiru, stir-fries,
dips, simmered dishes, etc. There are different kinds of dashi, the most
popular ones being those made from kombu (dried kelp), katsuo-bushi (dried
bonito flakes), niboshi (dried small sardines) and shiitake (椎茸‐a
delicious variety of Asian mushrooms). Kombu dashi and shiitake dashi are
excellent stocks suitable for vegetarians, vegans, coeliacs and for those on
low calorie diets. It is very easy to make, and for those who don’t have much
time the soaking method can be the perfect option

Ingredients

5 cm piece of kombu

1 lit water, chilled

If using shiitake, add 2~3 to
kombu and soak together

Directions1. Wipe kombu (and shiitake if using)
with

clean, slightly damp cloth

2. Place in a glass container, add
water and

leave to soak overnight

3. Remove kombu & shiitake and use the

dashi as in recipe

The kombu & the shiitake can
be reused for other dishes (slice and add to stir-fry, soups, salads, stews,
etc.) .

Creamy like mashed potatoes or fluffy like rice, millet is a
delicious grain that can accompany many types of food. Thanks to its high
content of magnesium can be very helpful in reducing migraine, in lowering high
blood pressure and also in reducing the risk of heart attack, especially in
people with atherosclerosis or diabetic heart disease. Also its content of Niacin
(vitamin B3) can be of help in lowering high cholesterol

Spelt Soda Bread

Ingredients 1 mug wholegrain spelt flour 1/4 mug brown rice flour 1 mug white spelt flour2 medium potatoes, mashed3/4tsp sea salt 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 1 mug warm water1 TBS apple cider vinegar2 ~3 TBS seeds of your own choiceMethodPreheat oven to 220C Coat an oven pan with little olive oil or with cooking paper Add flours, mashed potatoes, salt and bicarbonate of soda to large mixing bowl and gently mix to blend well Place warm water into a different bowl and add the vinegar, mixing wellAdd this liquid mixture to the flour mixture and knead until moistened (spelt molecule break more easily than wheat, so it is important to keep the kneading within 3~4 min, no more)Pour mixture into prepared pan and bake for about 35 ~40 min or until toothpick inserted in center of bread comes out cleanCool on wire rack before slicing

Bring the dashi and the shiitake soaking water to a boil and let boil for about 3 min on low heat

Add sliced shiitake, tofu and wakame and cook for about 10 min

Add dissolved miso, turn heat off and stir well

Pour into bowls, sprinkle each portion with onion salad and nori (if using) and serve

As a variation, you can add seasonal vegetables of your own choice to the miso soup. If you wish to do so, add the vegetables before adding the tofu, cook till tender, then add the tofu and proceed as in the above recipe

"Tsukemono": the good bacteria factory

Rarely is there a meal in
Japan where tsukemono are not served. "Tsukemono" is the name for Japanese pickles, which are full of powerful enzimes and good bacteria, essential for healthy digestion. They are prepared in many different ways
and many different ingredients can be used, but the fastest way to make them is described in the recipe below. Don't be scared about the amount of salt used, as if you use pure sea salt and consume the tsukemono in tiny portions (about 1 TBS or less once a day), within a balanced meal that is cooked without exceeding in salt, they will help with healthier digestion and with better absorption of nutrients. Try them out!